Salt substitute compositions

ABSTRACT

A composition useful as a substitute for table salt is disclosed. The salt substitute contains calcium chloride, a potassium salt, citric acid, rice flour, ginger oil and one or more flavorants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims benefit under 37U.S.C. § 1.20 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/290,526, filed Nov.8, 2002, now abandoned which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety, which claims benefit under 37 U.S.C. § 119(e) based on U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/331,188, filed Nov. 9, 2001, hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to low-sodium or sodium-free compositions,which can take the place of table salt.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Many attempts have been made to produce reduced-sodium or sodium-freecompositions for use as food seasonings. However, such compositionsoften lack palatability, reducing their commercial utility.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a composition whichcomprises calcium chloride, an acceptable potassium salt, citric acid,rice flour, ginger oil and a flavorant.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a compositionwhich comprises calcium chloride, an acceptable potassium salt, sodiumchloride, citric acid, rice flour, ginger oil and a flavorant.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method forimparting a salty taste to a food substance, which comprises adding anyof the foregoing compositions to a food substance.

Accordingly, a composition useful as a substitute for table salt isprovided, which comprises about 5 wt % to about 30 wt % of calciumchloride, about 5 wt % to about 40 wt % of potassium salt, about 5 wt %to about 50 wt % of citric acid, about 5 wt % to about 50 wt % of riceflour, about 1 wt % to about 15 wt % of ginger oil and about 1 wt % toabout 15 wt % of one or more flavorants. The salt substitute compositionmay further comprise about 10 wt % to about 50 wt % of sodium chloride,with a proportionate reduction in the wt % amounts of the otheringredients of the composition. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention the potassium salt is potassium chloride, potassium citrate,or a combination thereof. Moreover, the one or more flavorants isselected from the group consisting of garlic powder, dehydrated parsley,onion powder, celery powder, and the like.

Consistent with the objectives of the present invention, the saltsubstitute may also be described as a low salt substitute of table saltin which the composition further comprises about 10 wt % to about 50 wt% of sodium chloride, with a proportionate reduction in the wt % amountsof the other ingredients of the composition.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art, in view of the description provided herein.

4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The substantially sodium-free compositions of the present invention maycontain the individual components in a wide range of proportionsdepending on individual taste. The calcium chloride component preferablymay be present in a range of from about 5 percent to about 30 percent byweight. The potassium salt component preferably may be present in arange of from about 5 percent to about 40 percent by weight. Anyfood-acceptable potassium salt is contemplated, with potassium citrateand potassium chloride being particularly preferred. The citric acidcomponent preferably may be present in a range of from about 5 percentto about 50 percent by weight. The rice flour component preferably maybe present in a range of from about 5 percent to about 50 percent byweight. The ginger oil and flavorant components each may preferably bepresent in a range of from about 1 percent to about 15 percent byweight.

The specific flavorant to be used in the present compositions will varyaccording to individual taste. A wide range of conventional flavorantsare suitable. Particularly preferred are garlic powder, dehydratedparsley, onion powder, celery powder, etc. It will be understood thatcombinations of flavorants are within the scope of the invention.

Also within the scope of the present invention are low-sodium saltsubstitutes, in which one or more (or all) of the components of thesubstantially sodium-free compositions are replaced by a suitableproportion of sodium chloride. The amount of sodium chloride present insuch compositions may vary widely depending on taste and desired amountof sodium content. The preferred amount of sodium chloride content is inthe range of from about 10% to about 50% by weight.

The compositions of the present invention can be prepared by personsskilled in the art without an undue amount of experimentation usingreadily known techniques.

5. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 5.1. Substantially Sodium-FreeSalt Substitutes

The following compositions illustrate suitable substantially sodium-freesalt substituted. They may be prepared by blending the individualingredients.

Component Proportion by Weight Composition 1 Calcium chloride 10%Potassium Citrate 20% Citric Acid 30% Rice Flour 30% Ginger Oil  5%Garlic Powder  5% Composition 2 Calcium chloride 10% Potassium Citrate20% Citric Acid 30% Rice Flour 30% Ginger Oil  5% Dehydrated Parsley  5%Composition 3 Calcium chloride 10% Potassium Citrate 20% Citric Acid 30%Rice Flour 30% Ginger Oil  5% Onion Powder  5% Composition 4 Calciumchloride 10% Potassium Citrate 20% Citric Acid 30% Rice Flour 30% GingerOil  5% Celery Powder  5% Composition 5 Calcium chloride 10% PotassiumChloride 20% Citric Acid 30% Rice Flour 30% Ginger Oil  5% Garlic Powder 5% Composition 6 Calcium chloride 10% Potassium Chloride 20% CitricAcid 30% Rice Flour 30% Ginger Oil  5% Dehydrated Parsley  5%Composition 7 Calcium chloride 10% Potassium Chloride 20% Citric Acid30% Rice Flour 30% Ginger Oil  5% Onion Powder  5% Composition 8 Calciumchloride 10% Potassium Chloride 20% Citric Acid 30% Rice Flour 30%Ginger Oil  5% Garlic Powder  5%

5.2. Low Sodium Salt Substitutes

The following compositions illustrate suitable low sodium saltsubstitutes. They may be prepared by blending the individualingredients.

Component Proportion by Weight Composition 9 Calcium chloride   9%Potassium Citrate  18% Sodium Chloride  10% Citric Acid  27% Rice Flour 27% Ginger Oil 4.5% Garlic Powder 4.5% Composition 10 Calcium chloride  9% Potassium Chloride  18% Sodium Chloride  10% Citric Acid  27% RiceFlour  27% Ginger Oil 4.5% Garlic Powder 4.5% Composition 11 Calciumchloride   9% Potassium Citrate  18% Sodium Chloride  10% Citric Acid 27% Rice Flour  27% Ginger Oil 4.5% Dehydrated Parsley 4.5% Composition12 Calcium chloride   9% Potassium Citrate  18% Sodium Chloride  10%Citric Acid  27% Rice Flour  27% Ginger Oil 4.5% Garlic Powder 4.5%Composition 13 Calcium chloride   9% Potassium Chloride  18% SodiumChloride  10% Citric Acid  27% Rice Flour  27% Ginger Oil 4.5% CeleryPowder 4.5% Composition 14 Calcium chloride   9% Potassium Chloride  18%Sodium Chloride  10% Citric Acid  27% Rice Flour  27% Ginger Oil 4.5%Dehydrated Parsley 4.5% Composition 15 Calcium chloride   9% PotassiumChloride  18% Sodium Chloride  10% Citric Acid  27% Rice Flour  27%Ginger Oil 4.5% Onion Powder 4.5% Composition 16 Calcium chloride   9%Potassium Chloride  18% Sodium Chloride  10% Citric Acid  27% Rice Flour 27% Ginger Oil 4.5% Celery Powder 4.5%

It should now be apparent that many other embodiments of the inventioncan be readily contemplated in view of the teachings of thisspecification. The invention should not be held to be limited to suchembodiments, which invention is limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A composition which comprises: about 30% by weight citric acid; about 10% by weight calcium chloride; about 20% by weight potassium citrate; about 30% by weight rice flour; about 5% by weight ginger oil; and about 5% by weight garlic powder.
 2. A composition which comprises: about 30% by weight citric acid; about 10% by weight calcium chloride; about 20% by weight potassium chloride; about 30% by weight rice flour; about 5% by weight ginger oil; and about 5% by weight garlic powder.
 3. A composition which comprises: about 27% by weight citric acid; about 9% by weight calcium chloride; about 18% by weight potassium citrate; about 27% by weight rice flour; about 10% by weight sodium chloride; about 4.5% by weight ginger oil; and about 4.5% by weight garlic powder.
 4. A composition which comprises: about 27% by weight citric acid; about 9% by weight calcium chloride; about 18% by weight potassium chloride; about 27% by weight rice flour; about 10% by weight sodium chloride; about 4.5% by weight ginger oil; and about 4.5% by weight garlic powder.
 5. A composition useful as a substitute for table salt comprising about 10 wt % of calcium chloride, about 20 wt % of potassium salt, about 30 wt % of citric acid, about 30 wt % of rice flour, about 5 wt % of ginger oil and about 5 wt % of one or more flavorants.
 6. The composition of claim 5 which further comprises about 10 wt % of sodium chloride, with a proportionate reduction in the wt % amounts of the other ingredients of the composition.
 7. The composition of claim 6 in which the potassium salt is potassium chloride, potassium citrate, or a combination thereof.
 8. The composition of claim 6 in which the one or more flavorants is selected from the group consisting of garlic powder, dehydrated parsley, onion powder, and celery powder.
 9. The composition of claim 5 in which the potassium salt is potassium chloride, potassium citrate, or a combination thereof.
 10. The composition of claim 5 in which the one or more flavorants is selected from the group consisting of garlic powder, dehydrated parsley, onion powder, and celery powder.
 11. A composition useful as a substitute for table salt comprising about 5 wt % to about 30 wt % of calcium chloride, about 5 wt % to about 40 wt % of potassium salt, about 5 wt % to about 50 wt % of citric acid, about 5 wt % to about 50 wt % of rice flour, about 1 wt % to about 15 wt % of ginger oil and about 1 wt % to about 15 wt % of one or more flavorants.
 12. The composition of claim 11 which further comprises about 10 wt % to about 50 wt % of sodium chloride, with a proportionate reduction in the wt % amounts of the other ingredients of the composition.
 13. The composition of claim 12 in which the potassium salt is potassium chloride, potassium citrate, or a combination thereof.
 14. The composition of claim 12 in which the one or more flavorants is selected from the group consisting of garlic powder, dehydrated parsley, onion powder, and celery powder.
 15. The composition of claim 11 in which the potassium salt is potassium chloride, potassium citrate, or a combination thereof.
 16. The composition of claim 11 in which the one or more flavorants is selected from the group consisting of garlic powder, dehydrated parsley, onion powder, and celery powder. 